Editorial: Monday Briefing for Feb. 12, 2018

It is almost impossible to determine the depth of the tragedy following a recent fatal vehicle crash in Amarillo.

According to Amarillo Police Department, a drunk 19-year-old allegedly caused a wreck which killed two people, including an 11-year-old girl.

Family members and loved ones of the victims are left with the grief and pain, while the teenager must live with the guilt of his actions for the rest of his life.

Then there is this: The teenager had been served alcohol at two businesses before the fatal crash, according to APD.

This does not absolve the teenager, but it shows that laws exist for a reason. And when those laws are not recognized, the price can be severe.

Trumped Up

President Donald Trump took some heat recently for his comments related to his State of the Union address. The president called Democrats who were less than enthusiastic during his SOTU “un-American” and “treasonous.”

Predictably, Trump’s comments sparked outrage from many. For example, there was this from Colbert I. King in the Washington Post: “In Trump’s world, when the president gives a speech with applause lines, it is your duty, as an American, to clap. To do otherwise is disrespectful and contrary to the American spirit embodied in him. In his view, he is, after all, America. Fealty is owed to him.”

Here is something few have considered — is it possible the president fires off absurd comments just to rile people, and doesn’t really believe what he says? It seems he is often successful.

Money Talks

Remember the “Fight for $15” campaign?

This was the orchestrated attempt, primarily by those who work in the fast food industry, to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Some may recall the protests. It seems some do not recall history, though.

If the simple act of raising the federal minimum wage is the answer to so-called income disparity works so well, why is there no long-term evidence?

The federal minimum wage was 25 cents an hour in 1938. It now stands at $7.25 an hour. So in less than 100 years, the minimum wage has increased by $7 an hour. Since 1978, it has increased from $2.65 an hour. Yet we still have so-called income disparity. Simply jacking up the federal minimum wage is not the answer.